Lord Arthur Savile's Crime

Synopsis

Love, murder and the supernatural in Wilde's black comedy. Lord Arthur Savile's engagement to the lovely Sybil Merton looks like it will last forever - all because Lady Merton's chiromantist, Podgers, has read Lord Arthur's palm and foretold that he would commit murder. Lord Arthur desires a blissful married life and therefore, quite natually feels duty bound to get the murder over the first.

Our Review:

9 March 2010

Here are two fun facts about Oscar Wilde’s Lord Arthur Savile's Crime. Firstly (and chiefly of interest to Mancunians), it was written in the same year that the Palace Theatre, Manchester first opened its doors (1891). And secondly, the novella from which this stage version is adapted (by Trevor Baxter) was not well received by literary critics originally. Sadly, I have to say that this is one critic who would agree with his Victorian counterparts... to a point.

The story revolves around Lord Arthur (played by Lee Mead) who, just before marrying his fiancee (Louisa Clein), receives a palm reading; in his future, he will commit murder, he’s told. Terrified that the person he may kill could be his beloved, Lord Arthur reasons that, if he kills someone else first, then he and his bride can live happily ever after.

Whilst the play is by no means bad, it languishes somewhere between camp nonsense and over-the-top melodra...

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Latest User Review

Joe Spiteri - 15 March 2010:

Saw this at Richmond and was very good. have seen this play several times in the past and this production was as good if not better than the past ones. Excellent cast ad Lee Mead showed he is good outside Musicals and Kate O'Mara a true professional and the rest of the cast excellent but my favourite was David Ross as the Bishop--very very funny....

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